Film Review
After Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy, the Wolf Man entered
Universal Pictures' family of popular horror creations when this
spine-chilling monster film hit cinema screens across America in
1941.
Universal had previously played around with the idea of
lycanthropy in their 1935 film
Werewolf
of London (1935), but this was essentially just a reworking of
the
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
story and the monster in that film bears no resemblance to the feral
hirsute creation that Lon Chaney Jr brought to life in the 1940s.
Whilst manifestly not in the league of some of Universal's earlier
great monster films,
The Wolf Man
is an atmospheric and entertaining film which boasts a few memorable
expressionistic touches and some genuinely chilling
moments. The creepy transformation of Larry Talbot
into the Wolf Man isn't as ambitious as in later films, but it was an
achievement for its time, taking around twenty hours to record a shot
that lasts a mere few seconds.
The iconic Wolf Man make-up was designed by Jack Pierce, Universal's
ace make-up artist, who had previously created the Frankenstein monster
look for Boris Karloff in the 1930s. The make-up took around six
hours to apply and, being composed mainly of yak's hair, was extremely
uncomfortable to wear.
The concept for the Wolf Man came from screenwriter Curt Siodmak, who,
not having a source novel to fall back on (as had been the case with
Dracula and
Frankenstein), developed the
monster's story from his own imagination. Siodmak was one of
Germany's most promising writers of fantasy fiction before the rise of
Nazism forced him to flee his country and take up work as a
screenwriter in Hollywood. His brother was the distinguished film
director Robert Siodmak. In interviews, Curt Siodmak
remarked that the Wolf Man story was influenced by his experiences in
Germany of the 1930s, with the rise of the Fascists representing a kind
of assertion of man's darker, animalistic side over the side that is
morally superior, a kind of collective reversion to man's bestial past.
The Wolf Man's impressive
production values are bolstered by an equally impressive cast, which
includes such distinguished actors as Claude Rains, star of the earlier
Universal film
The Invisible man (1933), and
Bela Lugosi, who appeared in various Universal films, notably
Dracula (1931). Against
such a strong supporting cast, the less experienced Lon Chaney Jr is
bound to stand out as the weak link, but whilst he may struggle to
impress as the human Larry Talbot, he certainly delivers the goods as
the monstrous Wolf Man. Anyone who doubts Lon Chaney Jr's
acting potential should take a look at his portrayal of Lennie in Lewis
Milestone's 1939 adaptation of John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men.
The Wolf Man was Universal's
most successful film in 1941, ensuring that a return appearance of the
creature was inevitable. The Wolf Man next reared his shaggy head
in
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
(1943) and in three other films before bowing out in style in
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
. On each occasion, the Wolf Man was
played by Lon Chaney Jr, the only actor to play his monster throughout
the entire run of the Universal films.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
After 18 years, Larry Talbot returns to his family home to take the
place of his elder brother, who died in a hunting accident.
Shortly after his arrival, he is attracted to Gwen, the daughter of an
antiques dealer, and takes her to a gypsy fair with her friend
Jenny. That night, Larry sees a wolf suddenly attack Jenny.
He beats the wolf to death with his walking stick but is bitten.
The next day, Larry can find no trace of the wolf bite and no one
believes his story about his killing a wolf. A gypsy woman tells
him that the creature he killed was her son, who had been afflicted
with an ancient curse which transformed him into a wolf each autumn
when the moon is bright. To his horror, Larry realises that the
curse has passed to him...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.